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Tag: 2021

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Youth Advisory Board

Jaylah Bryant

JAYLAH BRYANT

Jaylah Bryant is a 17-year-old senior attending West Nottingham Academy, located just north of Baltimore, Maryland. At her school, she is a member of the Student Environmental Council (SEC) after school program as well as the SEC Leadership Team. Additionally, Jaylah is enrolled in the Environmental Sustainability Signature Program which allows her to work with outside mentors and advisors to better her understanding of all things environmental. In college, she hopes to major in environmental science and minor in public health. In many ways, Jaylah feels her time spent with her fellow WYSE attendees will forever propel her to nurture her love for the environment. Feel free to reach out to Jaylah on Instagram at @lena_bryantxo!

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Faculty Advisor Staff

Stephen Taglieri

STEPHEN TAGLIERI

Faculty Advisor

Steve Taglieri is a conservation and climate communications specialist graduated from George Mason University (Class of 2022). With a background in conservation biology and photojournalism, Steve has paired the two disciplines to assist eco-friendly organizations grow their online presence and outreach strategies. Steve has worked and written for the Smithsonian Zoo and Magazine, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Reverse the Red campaign, the Institute for Advertising Ethics, and the American Forest Foundation. Most recently, he founded Kingdom Multimedia LLC, a creative agency creating green impact through communications and marketing strategies. Actively working with the Indian Land Tenure Foundation and The Nature Conservancy, Steve merges public relations, videography, and journalism to grow climate awareness at eco-oriented organizations that have not previously allocated resources to this mission.

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Advance Team

Sydney Kirwan

SYDNEY KIRWAN

Advance Team Member

Sydney is the K12 Coordinator in the Office of Admissions at George Mason University.  In her role, she offers group tours of the university and college information sessions to elementary and middle school students to promote college-going opportunities. She also works closely with other K-12 Partnerships and the Washington Scholars Program. Being a part of the WSP staff is always a highlight of her year and she has been involved with the programs since joining the Advance Team in 2018. Sydney earned a B.S.Ed. in Youth and Social Innovation with a double major in Spanish from the University of Virginia and is currently pursuing a Masters in Counseling at George Mason University.

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Faculty Advisor Staff

Laura Swessel

LAURA SWESSEL

Faculty Advisor

Laura holds an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from MIT. She worked at Lockheed Martin as a Mechanical Test Engineer, building commercial satellites while earning an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from NJIT. She moved to Indiana in 1999 and started Lean Sigma, a consulting business for appliances, automotive, advertising, and healthcare industries and taught Physics at the local Purdue University campus. In 2012, she began as a long-term substitute Honors Physics teacher at Providence High School and found a love teaching high school. She now teaches Aviation, Physics, and Environmental Science at Mercy Academy in Louisville, KY. Laura has established STEM Clubs and Camps for elementary and middle school students in the area. She has been a volunteer with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources since 2008 as a docent at Falls of the Ohio and as a faculty member for the annual Family Paleontology Camp. She also serves on the county Native Habitat Restoration Team. She and her husband have four children, a dog and a cat.

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Faculty Advisor Staff

Donna Downing

DONNA DOWNING

Faculty Advisor

Donna Downing is the Senior Legal Policy Advisor at the Association of State Wetland Managers (ASWM).  Prior to coming to ASWM in December 2020, Donna was a policy analyst and attorney at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and served as Jurisdiction Team Leader in EPA’s Office of Water for fifteen years. Donna works on a variety of issues, with a focus in recent years on which waters are protected by the Clean Water Act (CWA) in light of the U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Donna previously worked for the U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment, and in private law practice. She has a BA from Harvard University magna cum laude, a MPP from the University of California at Berkeley, a JD from Georgetown University cum laude, and a LLM in Environmental Law summa cum laude from George Washington University. Donna teaches environmental law as an adjunct professor at George Washington University Law School, and was awarded the Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award in 2012. In what’s left of her time, Donna moonlights as a professional potter and an unprofessional horse trainer.

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Speakers

Michael Latimer

MICHAEL LATIMER

Associate, The Pew Charitable Trusts

Michael Latimer first attended WYSE back in 2012. After becoming part of the WYSE community, he studied at George Mason University, graduating in 2017 with a major in Environmental Science and a concentration in Conservation. During his time at GMU, he was an intern for the Washington Scholars Program where he assisted in the preparation for WYSE and its sister conference, the Washington Journalism and Media Conference. Also during his undergraduate years, Michael studied abroad in Belize where he learned about the connectivity between terrestrial and marine ecosystems as well as the communities reliant on them. In 2016, Michael studied at the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation, where he learned about the connection between conservation and society, worked as a resident advisor, and worked with the endangered bird population on the facility.

Michael currently works at the Pew Charitable Trusts as an associate. Here, he works on multiple projects including preventing ocean plastics, reducing harmful fishing subsidies, protecting Antarctica’s Southern Ocean, and seabed mining. Along with these projects, Michael assists in the scoping of new projects and engaging the organization in international bodies such as the United Nations, Our Oceans Conference, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation. He is very excited to be back to share his experience with the program that helped spark his passion in marine conservation.

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Faculty Advisor

Gary Swick

GARY SWICK

Faculty Advisor

Gary Swick used his BS in Natural Resource Mgt. from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point and a MSEd in Outdoor Teacher Education as the foundation for developing a field-based High School Environmental Science suite of eight courses.  The related projects have earned numerous state & national acclaim for their innovative approaches and impressive results.  Individually, Gary has received several recognitions on the national level as an outstanding Environmental Educator. With the motto, “Environmental Action through Education”, his students have been active agents of change in their communities. His primary focus has been getting students into their local streams as “Watershed Watchdogs”, collecting data and becoming stewards. He previously taught at Northern Illinois University and is now retired. In addition to teaching, Gary spent 18 summers as a whitewater raft guide in Wyoming.  Gary serves as the President of the Friends of the Fox River, the Board President of the Elgin Math & Science Academy, and is a board member on several other non-profit conservation groups. He is an avid outdoor recreationist.

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Faculty Advisor

Erica R. McKenzie

ERICA MCKENZIE

Faculty Advisor

Erica McKenzie was originally attracted to environmental engineering to better understand human-impacted natural environments, and she is currently an associate professor at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.  She completed an environmental engineering doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) at University of California at Davis, where she researched the water quality implication of runoff from highways, urban areas, and agricultural fields (think of the water that collects in the street or flows over a lawn when it rains). Additionally, while at UC Davis, Erica was involved in Engineers Without Borders and participated in projects to improve drinking water and sanitation for rural Ugandans; she was able to travel to Uganda twice. In her current position in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Temple University, Erica teaches classes and conducts research on water quality, particularly looking at pollutant movement through the environment or engineered treatment systems. When she’s not working, Erica enjoys outdoors activities, and particularly enjoys riding bikes and running.

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Faculty Advisor

Mike McDavit

MIKE MCDAVIT

Faculty Advisor

A native Washingtonian, Mike earned a BS in Environmental Science from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and a MPA from The George Washington University.  He first realized his passion for the environment while attending his suburban Maryland high school in the 1970’s. Mike, who just retired from federal service in 2021 after 38 years, worked in government, private sector and academe in the environmental field. His environmental experience spans wetland restoration and protection, pesticide regulation, hazards materials management, and air and water pollution control and testing. Mike lived and worked in Germany for nine years, managing hazardous wastes for the US military in Europe and Middle East. In that overseas position and other jobs at the US Environmental Protection Agency, Mike embraced the challenges associated with solving tough environmental problems. Mike is an adjunct professor of environmental biology at Montgomery College. In his free time, Mike enjoys birding, fishing, visiting museums/historical sites, and attending cultural events. He delights in showing people the marvelous cultural and historical sights of Washington, DC.

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Faculty Advisor

Kevin Magerr

KEVIN MAGERR

Faculty Advisor

Mr. Kevin Magerr is a professional engineer with nearly forty years of experience in environmental protection.  Kevin holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Widener University and a Masters of Science in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering from Villanova University, and has completed more than two dozen specialty courses and certifications throughout his career.  Recently retired from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, he worked in the Water Protection Division for thirty years. His work there, his numerous publications, and his teaching experience in several universities and at the high school level have been recognized by multiple awards, including the Gold Medal for Excellence in Government. Kevin continues teaching and advising at Temple University in several areas: Biotechnology, and Civil and Environmental Engineering at the graduate level, Environmental Science at the undergraduate level, and as Senior Faculty Advisor for the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment at George Mason University. Kevin is very active in the community by working with high school students in track and cross-country programs, being on the Executive Boards of the Global Water Alliance and the Nicholas Newlin Foundation for the Historic Newlin Grist Mill, and by providing technical assistance to the Chester, Ridley and Crum Watersheds Association. When not working he enjoys hiking and kayaking.